Sunscreen and Sympathy
I am a sunscreen fanatic. Four of my children tan easily and my oldest daughter and her father do not. They have gotten burned enough times for me to insist they use sunscreen. My husband who usually cooperates decided against being sympathetic to my phobia and refused it. He was about to play an instrument in a Memorial Day Concert and he kept saying that when he arrived, he would be given a hat and would not need the sunscreen. I reluctantly accepted his explanation and vowed to dismiss it in my mind. When he arrived, unbeknownst to him, the concert started earlier than he thought so he was late. There was no hat in sight and there he was, unprotected bald head in the sun for two very long hours. I kept trying not to look at his head until my mom arrived and spoke of nothing else…..She was full of “whys? I just said, “I tried!” In our discussions following the concert and his sunburn the next day, he kept informing me that at least the news station supported him and his hatless head as he was on TV that very evening!!! We all got a good laugh out of it and I have vowed to continue my fanatical approach to sunscreen in the future.

Patsy Ledbetter plays classical violin, lives, and writes in San Lorenzo, California. She may be reached at patsyled@sbcglobal.net